Well here we are! One month into 2017. Things are going well with the plan...we are back on track, mostly, with our budget.

It's been a super-stressful month to say the least. We made the decision to go ahead with our move...made the decision to build....in a city that is an hour away from where we currently live. With lot prices that are double or triple what they are here in B-town.

We went over and over and OVER our numbers, our budget, our projected income, our spending habits, our needs, our wants....I feel like January has been nothing but MATH.

I hate math.

Here's how we WON and LOST in January!

WON:

- I feel like we have really done our due diligence with the house. We are still waiting on our pre-approval from the always awesome Churchill Mortgage, but we've run the numbers umpteen times. I feel good about that. We are not walking into a new home blind or without taking into consideration what is reasonable. It's SO easy to get carried away with a new home build.

- Bridget has been packin' on the winter pudge, and growing out of all of her clothes. Turned in a crap-ton of old stuff to Kidz Kloset in Janesville and got a whole bunch of new (well, new to us) stuff! Saved a ton!

- We checked ourselves (before we wrecked ourselves, literally) and we have been really good about the restaurant visits this month. We did take ourselves out to sushi with a gift card the hubby got for good work at an event. Savings: $50. Woot!

- We were able to put a sizable chunk down on our vacation sinking fund. We signed up for a service that just takes a little bit out of our bank account each week and puts it into a savings account....it's a great way to save without the hassle! You can still enjoy life while being on a budget...you just have to PLAN!

LOST:

- Freaking dental work. Kid #1 started her braces journey this month. Our dental insurance only covers up to $3000 LIFETIME. Anyone whose kid has had braces knows that's a joke. Thankfully, we were able to cash flow the remainder. But dude. Teeth are expensive.

- Because it's slow season here in self-employment land, we weren't able to really "kill it" on debt repayment, but we were able to bump it up a little bit.

AMOUNT PAID ON DEBT: $1189.99

Next month we will be, HOPEFULLY, moving ahead at a break-neck speed on the house situation....and putting Casa Reseburg up for sale, which is terrifying!